


i'm tearing through the pages and the ink

by bvrussia



Category: Football RPF
Genre: M/M, Soulmate AU, i posted it again, i'm such a gotzeus trash, yeah - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-25
Updated: 2016-03-25
Packaged: 2018-05-29 02:30:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,641
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6355306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bvrussia/pseuds/bvrussia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The first color Mario sees is yellow. He’s just three years old and his mother is scared. They don’t know who it is. Mario Gotze has found his soulmate, but he hasn’t known his soulmate.<br/>When Marco goes home that day saying he’s seen red, nobody believes him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	i'm tearing through the pages and the ink

**Author's Note:**

> (OK SO, there were some problems about the last time i posted it so i did it again, hehe <3)  
> hi, i'm back!!  
> fdsfjadskf i'm really happy to finally post this after one month of procrastinating and looking for creativity!! besides that i bless that gotzeus selfie for giving me hope to continue working on this fksadjfalksdfj  
> sooooo, pls leave a kudo or a comment if you appreciate this, it makes a huge difference in my day to know someone liked what i wrote <3  
> (ps: english is not my first language, if you find any mistakes, pls warn me ^^)  
> ps2: i'm izzylighwood on twitter, if you want to leave a message.  
> THANKS FOR READING <3

The first colour Mario sees is yellow. He’s just three years old and his mother is scared. They don’t know who it is. Mario Gotze has found his soulmate, but he hasn’t _met_ his soulmate.

When Marco goes home that day saying he’s seen _red,_ nobody believes him.

*

It bothers Mario, but not _that_ much. The only colour he sees and ever has ever seen is yellow.  Everyone in his family has got used to it by now, and all of them got fed up of looking for whoever Mario’s soulmate is, _or was._ They tried for two weeks, asking around the school and tracing the same paths Mario had done when he first saw one colour. It didn’t matter, whoever it was, she or he, had disappeared. Because of that, when he got himself a colour-blind boyfriend, his parents were quite happy with the situation.

They had met in school. Robert was nice and loving, and he didn’t really mind about that fact that Mario had already met his soulmate while he only saw black and white. – _“_ _I don_ _’_ _t mind. I see your smile, it_ _’_ _s enough for me._ _”_ _._   Mario is sixteen and in love, he also pretends he doesn’t mind if Robert is not really the _love of his life_ , maybe both of them can act against this _“_ _soulmate rules_ _”_ _._ Mario Gotze can survive only seeing yellow.

 _(But if he_ _’_ _s being honest_ , Mario thinks about it, about who is it, about his face and his personality, about where he is right now, his name and what he’s been doing lately. When Mario sees the shining golden ring in his parents fingers and the sunrise in the mornings he wonders who made him capable of observe such beautiful things.

“Maybe it was a girl and that’s why I only see one colour.” He’s told Ann once. “Maybe God, or whoever, realised it halfway through the process that I'm gay and ended it. Maybe that’s why I don’t know who it is also.”

“It’s a possibility.” She murmurs.

“Maybe he’s dead.”

“Oh my God, maybe you were just unlucky and will find him someday, Mar.”

“Maybe.”  Laying on the grass, Mario closes his eyes because of the sunset light. He wonders if there’s anyone, anywhere, thinking the same as him, waiting for him to come again, to show the whole rainbow.

 _“_ _Maybe you should start looking for it again._ _”_ _)_

Mario loves Robert. He does.

*

It took Marco’s parents one whole week to actually believe that their six years old son had seen one color. _**Red.**_ Including his sisters, everyone thought Marco was just seeking for attention, that he had memorized the things which colour was red and had pretended to notice it, the penny only dropped when they were walking on the park and Marco saw a red butterfly, as he pointed at it screaming it was red, his family got it right. He had found his soulmate. Marco had found his soulmate in Dortmund when his family was about to move to another city.

Now, thinking back then, Marco wouldn’t have believed himself either. Actually, when he first told the situation to some of his closest friends, they didn’t believe him, his mother had to talk to them personally, - “You’re such a freak, I can’t believe you’re making me talk to your mom." Pierre had said.

When Marco first saw one colour, he didn’t realise how important it was, he didn’t really mind about what it meant for him, for his desperate family about to leave Dortmund. He had heard his parents talk about it once, about how serious it was and how it would affect Marco’s life: he could never find his soulmate again; he could only see red for the rest of his life. They kept it down, his family didn't want too much people to know about his situation, he could get too much attention because of it.

As he grew up, Marco heard fairy tales and tons of stories about soulmates and colours, he watched most of his closest friends, one by one, finding the love of their lives, shouting in happiness as they saw colours filling up the black and white world. For him, most people weren't anxious to find love, but to find _colours_. He didn't blame them, mainly when he saw fire, burning up in red, he didn't blame them at all.

Marco always knew his soulmate was about to come. All he could think about was that red was a beautiful colour.

_*_

It’s been four years since Robert broke up with him. Mario misses him, _but not that much_. It’s not like they broke up in good terms, there were screams and cries and apologies, for Robert, there were also colours after one month.

In university, the only one who knows about Mario’s situation with colours is Toni, Mario doesn’t really want everybody to know about his dramatic love life. When Mario first told him, after six months of knowing each other properly, a surprised look took over Toni’s face for an entire week, after that, he searched in actually fifty-six sites about similar situations to Mario’s. All Mario could think was that he had found himself another _Ann Kathrin._

“And haven’t you been looking for him?” Toni asks once, in the middle of one of their classes.

“Are you serious?” Mario whispers back. “Yes.”

“I did, a lot. My mom first did it when I came home saying I’d seen colours, we didn’t find any soul in the same situation as I. I tried again some years ago, I searched on the internet and looked around the city, nobody showed up.”

“It is impossible. _This is impossible_." Toni answers.

“It’s _rare._ Shut up now.” Mario answers, turning his face back to their teacher. He hasn’t stopped thinking about it since he broke up with Robert, actually. He’s met a few nice guys, but none of them were the one he was looking for, none of them made him see anything besides yellow. Mario tried to date one, Leon, for sometime, but back then he just _couldn_ _’_ _t._ He wanted everything or nothing at all.

"Do you want help to look for it?"

 _"Toni_. "He does his best _I'm-totally-angry-with-you-now look_. Toni doesn't buy it. "I shouldn't have told you."

" _Answer me_."

"I think the universe likes to play tricks on me, you know."

" _Maybe._ You need help."

"I do not. I’ve had had Ann since I was a child and we couldn’t find him, _or her, I_ don’t even know.”

_*_

When Marco is twenty-six, the company he works in opens a branch at Dortmund and needs a spokesman there. Everyone points Marco out, obviously. He thinks for two days before saying yes, but somehow he was sure of what he should do.

For two months when he's preparing to leave, all he hears is “ _Oh, so you_ _’_ _ll be looking for your soulmate then?_ _”_    he always answers, _No, I won_ _’_ _t_ , and receives a weird look in answer to that. This situation is always followed by awkward silence, which is intensified when they find out that he's actually moving because of his _job._ "Oh, nice, congratulations then." They usually say, fake smiling.

Mats was the only exception. When Marco calls him to break the news, he only says he's happy that they'll live close again. "Well, _as you pointed it_ , I was wondering if we could live _too_ close for like, two months, when I don't have where to live yet." Mats laughs.

"Of course, just let me now when you're coming."

When he left Dortmund, Mats and him were close friends. They lived in the same street and studied in the same class and there were cries for both parts when Marco moved (they'll deny it if anyone asks). At first, they didn't talk to each other very much, It's difficult to sustain friendship when you're children and don't live close. When both reached teenage years and Marco went on vacation at Dortmund, their friendship returned back to what it wad before, fortunately.

“ _I know you_ _’_ _ll look for it._ ” Mel says once. It's Marco last day at his family's house, and she gets in his room as he's finishing packing. He stares his sister for some time, wondering what she meant, when he realizes it, Marco returns his attention to his luggage.

“I won’t, Mel, I’ll be waiting for it, like I’ve been doing for the past years. He might not even live in Dortmund anymore.” He answers.

“But it’s a possibility.” she smiles. Marco can notice de excitement in her voice. "As far as I know, my soulmate could be a Japanese on vacation at Germany.”

Mel rolls her eyes and throws one of Marco’s t-shirts at him, “OK, I’m leaving,”

“You started it.” Marco points out as he keeps on throwing his stuff at boxes (what he calls packing, basically.)

He lays on his bed, now staring his ceiling. With the corner of his eyes, he sees his red jumper. When Marco was a child, his mother always tells, he'd only want to buy red clothes. Once, she laughs every time, he went to school wearing red t-shirt, trousers and shoes. Stylish. (His mom took a picture, saying she meant  to keep it and show to whoever Marco's soulmate was in the future.)

When Marco met Erik, his last boyfriend, he thought, for a short moment, that maybe he was the one, but when they touched the world kept on black, white and red. And when they kissed Marco felt good, but not like butterflies in his stomach and all those cheesy clichés that he wants to try (but if Mats asks, he hates romantic-drama comedy movies). They spent three years together, Marco's family loved him (he thinks his mom actually wished that there really were something damaged with Marco's "colour-thing" and Erik was really his soulmate. He never did wish that.). When he found his real soulmate, there was a mix of happiness and sadness, he apologized, but Marco could see the shining light in his eyes. "You're awesome, Marco. You'll find _him."_

"I know." He answers hugging him tight. I _already did, but lost it,_ he thinks.  Besides Erik, Marco had a met a few nice people during his life, actually, with some of them he had what you can call a long relationship. At first, most didn't mind about Marco seeing red, but as the years passed, all of them either get fed up of it or find their own soulmate. Marco is still friend with a great part of them.

The photo rests inside Marco's wardrobe now. He gets up and picks the photograph up, just in case he needs it. The last things he packs is that, putting it inside one of his bags.  He dials Mats number. " _Hi man, I'll be arriving tomorrow night."_

When he arrives in the next day, he feels up his lungs with the cold Dortmund breeze. It makes him feel alive.

_*_

This guy’s hair is yellow. Blond actually, but it’s actually _kind of_ yellow so Mario can notice it. He’s been talking to Mats since they arrived, laughing now and then and showing his crooked smile sometimes. Mario likes it, he really does.

“You’re staring.” Toni says, sitting next to him and picking up his own beer.

“What?” Mario answers, looking at him fondly.

“Whether you’re staring at Mats’ pretty face or Mats’ friend pretty face I don’t know, but you are.”

“I’m totally not.” Mario answers, looking back at Mats’ friend laughing in front of him. He is staring, he is totally staring the new dude and he just can’t stop. “You are doing the _heart eyes_ thing,” Mario opens his mouth to argue against it, but Toni continues talking, “come on, he’s been staring you too.”

“ _Toni, I-_ _“_ _Mario_ stars but Toni is already pushing him into Mats and Mats’ hot friend direction, it’s too late to argue.

"Mats!" Toni greets their friend. "And Mats' new friend!" He completes.

"I thought you'd never come by." Mats smiles at them, pushing Mario into a tight hug and doing some kind of special hi-five with Toni. "This is Marco Reus, my oldest new friend ever. Marco, these are Toni and Mario."

"Hi." The guy shakes Toni's hand. "So, what brought you here and why we never met each other, actually?" He asks.

"Marco used to live in Dortmund, when were children, and now he's come back to me. You know, friendship for life and etc." He lays his hands on the guy's shoulder. "And when I say come back to me I mean he'll be living in my house for the next two months." Mats pretends to roll his eyes. "Unfortunately."

"I'm homeless." The new guy, Marco, says, smiling and raising his hands like he's guilty.

 "You better be nice, Marco. We'll be spending a lot of time together. It’s nice that you’re already part of our tradition to go to bars every Thursday, that’s pretty much a preview of what’s about to come." Toni sits next to him, and the guy laughs.

"I promise to try my best." He says before turning his attention to Mario. "It's nice to meet you too _, Mario_."  They shake their hands.  Mario thinks he holds his hand a little bit stronger than necessary.

 _(The world is still grey._ Mario pretends not to be disappointed by that fact that this guy he's just met is _not_ his soulmate. With the corner of his eyes, he sees Toni staring at him hopefully. Mario wants to laugh.

 _The universe would never make it so easy._ He thinks.)

"Nice to meet you too, Marco."

*

When they met for the second time, Mario Gotze is wearing a red t-shirt. Marco himself is wearing no shirt at all. He stares Mario for some seconds and then think about his own situation: laying on Mats’ couch, with no t-shirt on and probably looking like he’s been ran over by a truck.

“Hi!” Marco sits up. He looks for his t-shirt behind and next to the couch, not even a sight of it.  “Marco, hi.” Mario answers giving him a shy smile as he sits next to him.

(Ok, Mario might be staring at his abs, it’s a possibility. But Marco could be crazy right now, seeing things when they’re not true just because he wishes they were. But, seriously, he’s almost sure Mario is looking at his abs.)

“So, as you can see, today is not Marco’s best time.” Mats interrupts the silence (and Mario analysis of Marco’s abs, really).

"I noticed."

"Too much alcohol." Marco murmurs.

"And too much vomit." Mats completes, doing a disgusted face.

"It's a back-to-Dortmund special hangover." Marco answers.

"It's shame I'm the one who deals with _that."_ He hands Marco a cup of something which Mario believes to be medicine.

"The perks of hosting me in your house, my friend." He takes the medicine, doing a disgusted face as he swallows it. "Right now, you probably think I'm no fun, but, seriously, I'm the best party partner ever." Marco declares.

"I bet I won’t think that when you puke on my couch next.” Mario pretends to roll his eyes, but laughs anyway.

“It’s nice that you are already planning our future after-party situations, my friend." Marco pushes Mario closer, putting one of his arms around his back and smiling at him.  " _A man gotta be ready for the future."_ Mario smiles, something lights up inside him.

He is sure him and Mario are going to be great friends.

*

Marco and him have lots of things in common, they both realise it after sometime, and it's easy and relaxing to spend time around each other. 

Marco _does_ puke on his couch after the first party they go together, and that’s all it takes to make their friendship official. _“_ _See, I_ _’_ _m the best_.” Marco says in the next day when he wakes up. Mario throws a pillow at him, but laughs anyway. “You’re gonna clean it, “ Mario points at it “I hope you’re aware of that.”

Their relationship develop from there, Marco and Mario get closer and closer to each other and soon they met almost everyday a week. They find out that Marco's job and Mario's university are close to each other, and obviously, that’s a reason to walk together everyday, and have a coffee sometimes. _("You go on dates every fucking day." Toni jokes.)_

One day, when their friend catch Mario wearing one of Marco's caps, Mats makes a fifteen minutes long speech about how Mario Gotze stole his best friend from him. " _He never borrowed me anything, he trully is possessive seriously, you changed him, Mar."._ Marco doesn't even try to deny it as he laughs _._ He hugs Mats, who is faking a pout on his lips.

 _"_ It's _impossible_ to steal him while he's still leaving in your house." Mario points out.

"Oh, so you really _is_ planning to steal him." Mats grins. “And by the way, analysing how much time you actually spend in my house because of him, I’d say you’re about to move here too.” He teases.

Mario can notice Toni staring him with the most cocky smile on his lips. He hates his friends. “Jealous is bittersweet, my dear friend.” Marco says as he hands Mario a piece of the pizza they had bought.

"Pierre hasn't even known Mario yet and I bet he agrees, really." Mats says before finally taking a bite of his food.

*

At Mats birthday party, for Mario, shit hits the fan, you could say.

Mats house is filled with people, half of them, Mario’s never seen before (honestly, he thinks Mats doesn’t even know everyone he invited.) The first person Mario sees when he arrives is, obviously, Marco. Next to him, there's a guy Mario already knows to be Pierre, one of Marco’s best friends back in the city where he used to live.

"Mario, Pierre." Marco points to the guy next to him. "Pierre, Mario Gotze." He points at Mario now.

"Nice to meet you, man _._ _”_ Mario says _._ _“_ It’s good to finally see you _, Marco talks a lot about you_." Pierre hugs Mario, greeting him. Behind him, Marco rolls his eyes.

"Good things, I hope." Mario answers, smiling to Pierre. _"Oh, you could bet."_

“I just liked you a lot, Pierre.” Mario declares, smiling at Marco in a teasing way.

"C'mon, you need to say hi to the birthday boy." Marco interrupts them, pulling Mario by his hand before Pierre has enough time to answer anything. He follows them anyway and keeps on talking to Mario. When he declares that he’ll be staying just enough to see Marco’s new house, Mario is pretty disappointed that he won’t get to know Pierre much better.

When they finally find Mats, all Mario can do before his friend is dragged somewhere else with someone he doesn’t know is give him a quick hug.

"Oh, so you've met Mario, I see. " Mats says before leaving, he grins to Auba. Mario feels like there's something he doesn't know about going betweem them. "Yes, we've met. I think you’re right." Pierre answers grinning.

Weird.  Marco looks at Mario, by his face, he can tell he's feeling the same way.  “What?” Mario asks.

“It’s nothing.” Pierre answers, but he’s still smiling. “C’mon you two.” Marco interrupts them again, one more time pushing Mario by his hand and now Pierre by his sleeve. He guides them to somewhere Mario just finds out to be the dance floor when he arrives there. Marco smiles.

" _No._ ” He simply says looking at Marco.

“What?” Marco says, pointing at his own ears and making a confused face. “I can’t hear you, the music is too high.”

Mario leans in his direction. He can feel Marco’s perfume. “I won’t dance now, Marco.”

Marco puts one of his hands in Mario’s hips, with the other, he holds Marios’ hand making him move in the song’s beat. “C’mon” He says. There’s too much physical contact now, honestly,  Mario can’t handle it.

What the fuck is he doing, God?

" _You know_ I need at least two shots of vodka before start dancing." He shouts in Marco's ear for him to hear it properly. _His lips almost touch it._

Marco's hands are still on Mario's hips when he looks at him and says _Please_. Mario can notice his pupils are dilated now, Mario can feel his breath against his face. He needs to go. “I’ll be back in some minutes.” He puts his hand on top of Marco’s and takes it off his body.

_Too much._

He leaves the dance floor, pushing something like one hundred drunk people out of his way. He sees Ann sat in one of Mats couches, as he runs into her direction, he tries to erase Marco from his thoughts.

_Too much. Just too much._

"You've been flirting for two months now." Ann says when he sits next to her "You're almost boyfriends - without the funniest part: kisses and sex."

He rolls his eyes. Nice, she saw it. "Shut up."

"Toni agrees, Mats agrees, I bet Pierre agrees too.”

"There is it, that's a plot against me and Marco. And Toni just wants me to find a boyfriend."

"You should."

"I keep on seeing yellow, Ann." He answers, Marco is dancing way more now, shouting out loud things that cannot be understood by any human, really. _"Everything or nothing at all."_

"You look at Marco like everything." She says.

"Shut up."

_Marco is laughing next to Pierre._

"And I know you feel everything too."

 _Marco's hips are moving_. "We're friends."

"And that leads us to the first thing I've said: you've been flirting for two months now."

"Nothing at all, Ann." Mario knows there are multi-coloured lights on now, but he can't see it. Truly, _all he sees is Marco_.

 _Marco looks at him. He smiles_. Mario takes the first shot of vodka, just one more until he starts dancing too.

Mario is screwed. For real.

*

In the next week, Marco finally moves out from Mats' house and buys his own furniture. Mario, Toni, Pierre and Mats help him to settle down in his new place. There's a yellow wall on Marco's bedroom, Mario smiles to himself. "What?"

"Hum?" He answers.

"You are smiling. At my wall." Marco says, holding back a smile. “Weirdo.”

"It's nothing. I just liked it" He points at it.

"Yeah, it seems nice." Marco smiles fades away, he goes back to what he was doing before.

Mario wonders if Marco may be thinking about what colour is it, he knows that even being colour-blind, you can notice the different shades of each colour. _It's yellow_ , it'd be so easy to say. He can't, Mario needs to keep it, whatever it is between them, alive.

For a moment, he thinks about how domestic this situation is, them cleaning Marco’s new house, organizing his things to their right places. Marco wears nothing but shorts, and Mario has yellow paint on his own shirt (yes, they painted a wall together, really, _what a old married couple_.) "Have you dated anyone?"

"Sorry?" Marco turns his attention to him again.

"Have you dated anyone?"

"You mean like, ever? Because, honestly Mario, I'm twenty-six, is kind of obvious." Mario laughs. "No, I mean like, dating for a long time."

"I've had Erik." Marco says. He remains silent for some minutes. "It was nice."

"Cool."

" _But not enough."_  He bites his own lips and Mario can help but stare at it. He wants to kiss him.  “And you?”

“Robert. Teenage love and etc.” He says, pretending to pay attention on what he was doing before, taking Marco’s clothes out of his luggage and putting those in the wardobre.

_Mario has to keep it alive, it may not be enough too, but he needs it._

*

"You have a crush." Pierre sits next to him. "Sorry?" Marco stops the movie, a cheesy romantic comedy-drama Mario indicated, and looks at his friend, whose lips are curled up in a smile.

Marco wants to run away. "You have a crush."

"I don't know what you are talking about." He does, really.

" _Mario_." Auba simply says.

"My good friend." Marco says as he starts the movie back again, next to him, Pierre laughs.

_"I think he has a crush on you too."_

Marco ingnores his friend, his heart is racing now, just to think about that possibility, just to think about Mario and him. "Excuse me, I'm trying to watch a movie here. And you've just met him, Pierre."

"And that was enough to find out you like him, really."

Marco rolls his eyes. "And that’s officially the first time you annoy me at my house in Dortmund. When are you leavig exactly?”

_"You should do something about it."_

_Mario._

_Mario and him._

"Please, stop." Marco says, pretending to still be concentrated on the TV. The main couple is making out now at the end. The main couple who used to be nothing more than friends. Nice.

"I'm serious. I mean, you two are almost boyfriends already. Marco, you see him everyday, he helped you settle down in your own house, he was wearing one of your t-shirts at the party, I noticed it." Pierre points out.

_Mario._

_Mario and him._

_His hands on Mario's hips. Mario's breath against his face._

"As far as I know, Pierre, I'm still not seeing colours beside red."

"That didn't stop you from having relationships for the past twenty-six years of your life. You had Erik."

"It's different now." He gets up, picking up the left mug in the cupboard. _Back then,_ he thinks _, I didn_ _’_ _t wish I couldn_ _’_ _t see red just because I wish it was him to give me all the colours._

"Mario is different then?"

"We're close friends."

"But he's different. You and Erik were friends too.”          

"Look, I overheard something, Pierre, he was talking to Toni and I heard that he's been looking for his soulmate. He wants it _all_." Marco says when they reach the kitchen, he leans in the counters. "Something like fairy tales and _rainbows_." It leaves a bitter taste in Marco's mouth to say it.

"Oh." Auba says, staring at the floor.

"Yeah, I _don't_ have a crush."

Pierre stands next to him, and, putting his hand on Marco's shoulder, he says "You do, my friend, you do."

He does. When he remembers Mario’s smile and his breath against his ear at Mats’ party, he’s sure he does, when he remembers the feeling of his skin against his fingertips, he’s sure he does.

*

 _“_ _I_ _’_ _ve done research_.” Ann sits next to him.

“Fucking hell, Ann. Leave it.” Mario murmurs, covering his face with his own hands, trying to protect himself for the disappointment this following minutes will probably be when they realise that, no, _Marco Reus is not Mario_ _’_ _s soulmate._

Ann and Toni have been talking about it since they met Marco really, _("You two just fit perfectly"_ Ann had said). There were theories and ridicolous awful ideas about Marco and him, and althought Mario thought it was kind of funny, it was starting to annoy him, really. A constant reminder that they’re not soulmates, like someones putting salt in your open wound.

“So, “she starts, looking at Mario hopefully, “sometimes, just a touch is not enough for the colours to appear, especially in your circumstances considering the fact that you actually have already touched each other for probably a short amount of time.”

“Sorry?”

“I’m serious, I’ve read about this. It’s like – I don’t really know how to explain it, but you’ve already touched each other years ago, right? So now just a touch is not enough, it’s like your colour-thing is broken because it started working once, but stopped to soon.”

She stops. Mario stares. “What are you suggesting?”

“What do you think I am suggesting, Mar?” She smiles, the evil Ann-Katrin grin appears.

“You want us to make out like crazy, doesn’t you?” Mario laughs, Ann nods like it’s the most ordinary thing she’s ever said. “ _God, you_ _’_ _re obsessed._ _”_

“And you’re an idiot.” She answers. Mario lays his head on her shoulder.

“Robert called.” He whispers.

“What?” Ann stares him.

“Things are not good in his love life, you know, he’s kind of _“_ _on a break_ _”_ with his girlfriend.”

“He's on a break with the love of his life."

"Yes."

"And why are you related to this in any way?”

“He wants to see me. Said the universe might’ve got it all wrong, maybe we _are_ meant to be.” Mario can hear his own breath. "We all know that there's something wrong with me, maybe this soulmate thing isn't right for him too."

 _(Marco. Marco's_ _smile. Marco's_ _touch. Yellow.)_

“I thought you wanted the whole rainbow. I thought he had had it already.” She answers.

_(Marco. Black and white.)_

“Maybe the sun is enough.”

“He wasn’t the one who gave it to you, Mar.”

*

"It's too much. I just can't believe that." Toni says. The two of them, Mats and Toni, are sat together, staring the old married couple Mario and Marco are, they laugh. They lay on the couch together, sharing the same popcorn bowl as they watch some of the awful movies that just them are able to like in the entire planet Earth.

"It's impossible." Toni murmurs. "If I were in control of this colour-related-to-love thing, I'd totally make them soulmates."

"It's weird you know, that Marco shows up from nowhere and in two months they are as close as I was with Mario after, I don't know, one year." He completes. "And It's just, I can't get in the fact that it's not him."

"Marco has a crush on him. I'm sure." Mats says. “Pierre is sure.”

"I thought we had found it, I thought it was finally him, and when you said he had left Dortmund when he was a kid everything just seemed to fit." Toni murmurs.

"Hum?" Mats turns all his body into Toni's direction.

"What, Mats?"

"Why Marco leaving Dortmund is related to them being soulmates, Toni?"

"Shit. Mario'll kill me for telling you this." He hides his face in his hands.

"Mario will kill you for telling me what, Toni?" Mats slowly says, there’s a hint of smile in his lips, like he’s about to realise the most important thing in the universe.

"He sees yellow _, just yellow."_

_"He doesn't."_

"He does. Black, white and yellow." Mats smiles.

"What if I tell you Marco _sees_ red?"

"Black, white and red." Toni smiles. Suddenly every piece of the puzzle fits in. Everything is red and yellow. In front of them, Mario lays his head on Marco’s shoulder.

*

Mario walks alone. He never does when he' coming back from Marco's house, but today there were still some people there, Marco couldn't really leave all of them there by themselves to walk Mario home (he could, actually, but all their friends would tease him).  However, when he's halfway through his path, Mats reaches him, _"We need to talk. I_ _’_ _ve just talked to Toni._ _”_

“Hum?” Mario looks at Mats, who looks like he’s just ran an 150 kilometres long marathon.

“I meant to walk you home but got distracted, so I ran all way from Marco's house to here, yes. Now, how do you feel about Marco Reus?” He lays both of his hands in Mario's shoulder, making him stop walking.

"Are you drunk?”

“No, I just think I’m right about something.” He answers. “Now, answer me, Mario.”

“Marco is nice, we’re good friends, he’s one of my best friends, actually.”

“No, Mar. _You see yellow_. Toni's just told me you see yellow." He shakes his head in disapproval.

"Toni told you what?"

"You keep on seeing yellow, right?"

“What are you trying to say, Mats?” He asks because honestly, he’s getting fed up about this. They all know he’s a crush on Marco. Nice. But they all also know they’re not soulmates. They all know Mario doesn’t want to do that with himself anymore. Robert was enough of that. And now, Mats also knows Mario sees red, because Toni Kroos can't keep his fucking mouth shut.

“Yes, I keep on seeing yellow. Marco is not my soulmate, you should have probably noticed that already, Mats.”

“Marco sees red.” He smiles.

“I’m sorry?” Mario turns his look back to Mats face. He probably didn’t heard it right.

“He sees red. Red, love, fire, you.”

Mario stares his friend. He’s not really sure if hearing this is the same as having a bucket full of ice suddenly thrown at you or entering a hot bath after a hard day. He’s not sure if he kind of always knew that, always felt that, or if this is the best surprise he’s ever heard. He’s not even sure if what Mats is saying is true.

“You see yellow. Yellow, sunrise, warm, Marco.” Mats breaths out, the relieved look on his face is one of the weirdest things Mario’s ever seen (also, it’s kind of cute)  “You can’t be serious.” Mario’s heart it beating too fast now.

"I AM!" He almost shouts smiling from ear to ear. It's kind of funny how he's reacting to this like Mario and Marco are the main couple in some romantic movie Mats is watching. He smiles.

"I am serious. He started seeing red two days before leaving Dortmund, Mar, when he was a kid, when you started seeing yellow."

"That's why my soulmate kind of vanished." _Maybe_.

"Yes." He answers. "Yes! Ann's theory might be right." He jumps rising one of his hands like he's just scored the world cup winning goal.

"The make-out-like-crazy theory?"

_"Yes."_

“Go back there, all of them already left, just, please, go back there and get this over.”  Mario can’t help but laugh before start running back to Marco’s house.

_*_

When Marco answers the door and sees Mario, his face is a mix of confusion and happines. "Oh, hi." He says as Mario gets in. Mario can hear his own heart beating. "We need to talk."

"We are talking." He points out, walking into his bedroom. Mario follows him. "It's important, Marco."

"Ok, tell me what is it then." Marco sits on his own bed. Behind him, the yellow wall _shines_ for Mario. He smiles, it was just always so obvious but yet they didn’t realise it.

“Mats told me.” Mario says, sitting next to Marco on his bed.

“Mats told you what?” All Mario can think about now is what colour Marco’s eyes must be. _“_ _You only see red._ _”_ He holds his breath.

“Oh.” Marco simply says, back to staring his bedroom ceiling. "and why, actually, he did that?"

"We were talking about _something_ important.”

And then there's silence. Marco stares the ceiling, Mario can notice his belly going up and down as he breaths. He can't get what the expression on Marco's face means, can’t figure out what Marco might be thinking right now.

"Look, I'm sorry I didn’t tell you this, I know it’s an important thing and all but I - I couldn't." Marco finally says.

"You should've told me." Mario says, it would have made things so much easier.

"It's just – I don’t know, it didn’t use to bother me, I always knew that, no matter what, I would find this person sooner or later but now I – I don’t know if I want to. It's been haunting me for the past weeks and I just - I don't know."

"What?"

“I don't know Mar, there's something going on here, between us, " he touches Mario's hand with his. "Some people I’ve met weren’t really satisfied knowing that I had already met my unknown soulmate and I didn’t want to – Oh God, I’m not making sense. I just didn't feel comfortable to tell you about it back then, _and I thought Mats was aware of my situation, by the way._ _”_

Mario holds back his smile.

"And I know you're looking for you real soulmate and shit like that but I just can't. It might ruin our friendship but you know there is something here. Everyone knows. And I just don’t know how to deal with it.” Mario smiles and holds Marco's hand stronger than before.

“What is it for?” Marco asks. Mario runs his thumb over his hand.

 _“_ T _he only colour I see is yellow._ _”_

Marco turns his face to him again, his mouth is hanging open now (Mario also thinks his eyes are shining a little bit, but it might be his mind playing tricks over him) “Hum?"

"I only see yellow."

"Since when?"

“Since I was a child. Since we touched each other, I don’t know how yet, but we did.”

“Are you joking, Mar?” Marco asks. Mario pushes himself against Marco’s body, touching Marco’s neck with his lips; he's been claiming to touch Marco's skin like that for too long, can't control himself. "Does it look like I’m joking?"

Marco finally, _fucking finally_ , kisses him, he pushes him against the mattress and Mario actually _feels_ butterflies in his stomach, and he feels like coming home because he truly doesn’t believe that Dortmund’s been his home since Marco left, because he’s sure he will see the whole rainbow when he open his eyes. He feels every cliche he can possible think that moment, everything he’s never felt before and that he’s sure he will never feel with anyone else.

“You are so late.” He murmurs. His eyes are still closed and he can feels Marco’s breath against his cheeks, his fingers tracing patterns on his back while one of his hands pushes him closer.

“You are on time.” Marco kisses him again, softly, and he can feel him smile against his mouth. Mario opens his eyes.

Marco’s eyes are green. His mouth is red.

*

Marco is yellow. Yellow is the only way to explain how Mario melts whenever Marco is around, yellow is the only way to explain how Mario shines when Marco's around, how Marco lights up everything in his life, yellow is the only way to explain Marco's feelings at night, muffling his screams in Marco's neck. _Fire. Yellow_.

When they break the news to their friends, they don’t get exactly the reaction both of them expected.

There’s not much surprise, actually, they say everyone kind of always knew it would happen, every one of them had already talked either to Mario or Marco about their situation. However, Ann still throws on Mario’s face that she was always right, and when they kiss, Mats still acts like they’re the main couple of some romantic movie, like he did when he first told Mario that Marco could see red.   _“_ _That_ _’_ _s ridiculously cute._ _”_ Toni laughs. Pierre makes a skype call just to says _fucking finally, my friends._

"I love you." Mario says after two months of properly dating each other. Marco kisses him even more fiercely than he did before. "Wait," Marco smiles against his lips, "I need to show you something." He gets up and walks into his wardrobe direction. When he picks up a photograph inside a gray box, he returns to bed.

"Here." He hands the picture to Mario. _It's a red Marco Reus, you could say._ Marco is wearing red trousers and t-shirt, besides that, he has red snickers and socks. It reminds Mario of a tomato.

"Oh my God, Marco." He laughs. Marco smiles at him. "I would only want to wear red when I was a kid. It was the only colour I could see so I thought it was the most beautiful thing ever. _I still do_.”

Mario pushes Marco's body against his again, he kisses him.  _"I love you too, Mar." Marco says, smiling against Mario's lips._

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading <3 leave a comment and/or a kudo if you like it, please <3


End file.
